Soybean Variety 92B52

ABSTRACT

A soybean variety designated 92B52, the plants and seeds of soybean variety 92B52, methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing the variety 92B52 with itself or with another soybean plant, and hybrid soybean seeds and plants produced by crossing the variety 92B52 with another soybean line or plant.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of soybean breeding, specificallyrelating to a soybean variety designated 92B52.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive soybean variety,designated 92B52 which has been the result of years of careful breedingand selection. There are numerous steps in the development of any novel,desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis anddefinition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, theestablishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breedingobjectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possess thetraits to meet the program goals. The goal is to combine in a singlevariety an improved combination of desirable traits from the parentalgermplasm. These important traits may include higher seed yield,resistance to diseases and insects, tolerance to drought and heat, andbetter agronomic qualities.

Field crops are bred through techniques that take advantage of theplant's method of pollination. A plant is self-pollinated if pollen fromone flower is transferred to the same or another flower of the sameplant. A plant is cross-pollinated if the pollen comes from a flower ona different plant. Soybean plants (i.e. Glycine Max) are recognized tobe naturally self-pollinated plants which, while capable of undergoingcross-pollination, rarely do so in nature. Insects are reported by someresearchers to carry pollen from one soybean plant to another and itgenerally is estimated that less than one percent of soybean seed formedin an open planting can be traced to cross-pollination, i.e. less thanone percent of soybean seed formed in an open planting is capable ofproducing F₁ hybrid soybean plants, See Jaycox, "EcologicalRelationships between Honey Bees and Soybeans," appearing in theAmerican Bee Journal Vol. 110(8): 306-307 (August 1970). Thusintervention for control of pollination is critical to establishment ofsuperior varieties.

A cross between two different homozygous lines produces a uniformpopulation of hybrid plants that may be heterozygous for many gene loci.A cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number of gene loci willproduce a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically and willnot be uniform. Regardless of parentage, plants that have beenself-pollinated and selected for type for many generations becomehomozygous at almost all gene loci and produce a uniform population oftrue breeding progeny.

Soybeans (Glycine max.), can be bred by both self-pollination andcross-pollination techniques. Choice of breeding or selection methodsdepends on the mode of plant reproduction, the heritability of thetrait(s) being improved, and the type of variety used commercially(e.g., F₁ hybrid variety, pureline variety, etc.). For highly heritabletraits, a choice of superior individual plants evaluated at a singlelocation will be effective, whereas for traits with low heritability,selection should be based on mean values obtained from replicatedevaluations of families of related plants. Popular selection methodscommonly include pedigree selection, modified pedigree selection, massselection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used todevelop varieties from breeding populations. Pedigree breeding startswith the crossing of two genotypes, each of which may have one or moredesirable characteristics that is lacking in the other or whichcomplements the other. If the two original parents do not provide allthe desired characteristics, other sources can be included in thebreeding population. In the pedigree method, superior plants are selfedand selected in successive generations. In the succeeding generationsthe heterozygous condition gives way to homogeneous lines as a result ofself-pollination and selection. Typically in the pedigree method ofbreeding five or more generations of selfing and selection is practiced:F₁ →F₂ ; F₂ →F₃ ;F₃ →F₄ ; F₄ →F₅, etc.

Pedigree breeding is commonly used for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops. Two parents that possess favorable,complementary traits are crossed to produce an F₁. An F₂ population isproduced by selfing one or several F₁ 's or by intercrossing two F₁ 's(sib mating). Selection of the best individuals may begin in the F₂population; then, beginning in the F₃, the best individuals in the bestfamilies are selected. Replicated testing of families can begin in theF₄ generation to improve the effectiveness of selection for traits withlow heritability. At an advanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F₆ and F₇),the best lines or mixtures of phenotypically similar lines are testedfor potential release as new varieties.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for simply inherited,highly heritable traits into a desirable homozygous variety or inbredline that is utilized as the recurrent parent. The source of the traitsto be transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant isexpected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., variety)and the desirable traits transferred from the donor parent. After theinitial cross, individuals possessing the desired traits of the donorparent are selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to therecurrent parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributesof the recurrent parent (e.g., variety) and the desirable traitstransferred from the donor parent. This approach has been usedextensively for breeding disease resistant varieties.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulvarieties produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended, etc.).

Various recurrent selection techniques are used to improvequantitatively inherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use ofrecurrent selection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease ofpollination, the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination,and the number of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for three or more years. The best lines are candidatesfor new commercial varieties; those still deficient in a few traits maybe used as parents to produce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, can take from eight to twelve years from the time thefirst cross is made. Therefore, development of new varieties is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standardvariety. Generally a single observation is inconclusive, so replicatedobservations are required to provide a better estimate of its geneticworth.

In addition to the preceding problem, it is not known how the genotypewill react with the environment. This genotype by environmentinteraction is an important, yet unpredictable, factor in plantbreeding. A breeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict thegenotype, how that genotype will interact with various environments orthe resulting phenotypes of the developing lines, except perhaps in avery broad and general fashion. A breeder of ordinary skill in the artwould also be unable to recreate the same line twice from the very sameoriginal parents, as the breeder is unable to direct how the genomescombine or how they will interact with the environmental conditions.This unpredictability results in the expenditure of large amounts ofresearch resources in the development of a superior new soybean inbredline.

The goal of soybean breeding is to develop new, unique and superiorsoybean varieties. In practical application of a chosen breedingprogram, the breeder initially selects and crosses two or more parentallines, followed by repeated selfing and selection, producing many newgenetic combinations. The breeder can theoretically generate billions ofdifferent genetic combinations via crossing, selfing and mutations. Thebreeder has no direct control at the cellular level. Therefore, twobreeders will never develop the same line, or even very similar lines,having the same soybean traits.

Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to thenext generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and differentgeographical, climatic and soil conditions, and further selections arethen made during and at the end of the growing season. The varietieswhich are developed are unpredictable for the reasons already mentioned.

Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations ofeither self-or cross-pollinated crops. A genetically variable populationof heterozygous individuals is either identified or created byintercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selectedbased on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellentcombining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a newpopulation in which further cycles of selection are continued.

The single-seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to plantinga segregating population, harvesting a sample of one seed per plant, andusing the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When thepopulation has been advanced from the F₂ to the desired level ofinbreeding, the plants from which lines are derived will each trace todifferent F₂ individuals. The number of plants in a population declineseach generation due to failure of some seeds to germinate or some plantsto produce at least one seed. As a result, not all of the F₂ plantsoriginally sampled in the population will be represented by a progenywhen generation advance is completed.

In a multiple-seed procedure, soybean breeders commonly harvest one ormore pods from each plant in a population and thresh them together toform a bulk. Part of the bulk is used to plant the next generation andpart is put in reserve. The procedure has been referred to as modifiedsingle-seed descent or the pod-bulk technique.

The multiple-seed procedure has been used to save labor at harvest. Itis considerably faster to thresh pods with a machine than to remove oneseed from each by hand for the single-seed procedure. The multiple-seedprocedure also makes it possible to plant the same number of seeds of apopulation each generation of inbreeding. Enough seeds are harvested tomake up for those plants that did not germinate or produce seed.

Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used fordifferent traits and crops can be found in one of several referencebooks (e.g., Allard, 1960; Simmonds, 1979; Sneep et al., 1979; Fehr,1987).

Proper testing should detect major faults and establish the level ofsuperiority or improvement over current varieties. In addition toshowing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new variety.The new variety must be compatible with industry standards, or mustcreate a new market. The introduction of a new variety may incuradditional costs to the seed producer, the grower, processor andconsumer, for special advertising and marketing, altered seed andcommercial production practices, and new product utilization. Thetesting preceding release of a new variety should take intoconsideration research and development costs as well as technicalsuperiority of the final variety. For seed-propagated varieties, it mustbe feasible to produce seed easily and economically.

Soybean, Glycine max (L), is an important and valuable field crop. Thus,a continuing goal of soybean breeders is to develop stable, highyielding soybean varieties that are agronomically sound. The reasons forthis goal are obviously to maximize the amount of grain produced on theland used and to supply food for both animals and humans. To accomplishthis goal, the soybean breeder must select and develop soybean plantsthat have the traits that result in superior varieties.

Pioneer soybean research staff create over 500,000 new inbreds eachyear. Of those new inbreds, less than 50 and more commonly less than 25are actually selected for commercial use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel soybean variety,designated 92B52. This invention thus relates to the seeds of soybeanvariety 92B52, to the plants of soybean variety 92B52 and to methods forproducing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean variety 92B52with itself or another soybean plant, and the creation of variants bymutagenesis, tissue culture or transformation of soybean variety 92B52.

Definitions

In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used.In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms,the following definitions are provided:

B/A=BUSHELS PER ACRE. The seed yield in bushels/acre is the actual yieldof the grain at harvest.

BSR=BROWN STEM ROT TOLERANCE. This is a visual disease score from 1 to 9comparing all genotypes in a given test. The score is based on leafsymptoms of yellowing and necrosis caused by brown stem rot. A score of9 indicates no symptoms. Visual scores range down to a score of 1 whichindicates severe symptoms of leaf yellowing and necrosis.

CNKR=STEM CANKER TOLERANCE. This is a visual disease score from 1 to 9comparing all genotypes in a given test. The score is based uponpremature plant death. A score of 9 indicates no symptoms, whereas ascore of 1 indicates the entire experimental unit died very early.

COTYLEDON. A cotyledon is a type of seed leaf. The cotyledon containsthe food storage tissues of the seed.

EMBRYO. The embryo is the small plant contained within a mature seed.

F₃. This symbol denotes a generation resulting from the selfing of theF₂ generation along with selection for type and rogueing of off-types.The "F" number is a term commonly used in genetics, and designates thenumber of the filial generation. The "F₃ " generation denotes theoffspring resulting from the selfing or self mating of members of thegeneration having the next lower "F" number, viz. the F₂ generation.

FECL=IRON-DEFICIENCY CHLOROSIS. Plants are scored 1 to 9 based on visualobservations. A score of 1 indicates the plants are dead or dying fromiron-deficiency chlorosis, a score of 5 means plants have intermediatehealth with some leaf yellowing and a score of 9 means no stunting ofthe plants or yellowing of the leaves.

FEY=Frogeye Tolerance. This is a visual disease score from 1 to 9comparing all genotypes in a given test. The score is based upon leaflesions. A score of 9 indicates no lesions, whereas a score of 1indicates severe leaf necrosis.

HABIT. This refers to the physical appearance of a plant. It can beeither determinate or indeterminate. In soybeans indeterminate varietiesare those in which stem growth is not limited by formation of areproductive structure (i.e., flowers, pods and seeds) and hence growthcontinues throughout flowering and during part of pod fillling. The mainstem will develop and set pods over a prolonged period under favorableconditions. In soybeans, determinate varieties are these in which stemgrowth ceases at flowering time. Most flowers develop simultaneously,and most pods fill at approximately the same time.

HGT=Plant Height. Plant height is taken from the top of soil to top podof the plant and is measured in inches.

HILUM. This refers to the scar left on the seed which marks the placewhere the seed was attached to the pod prior to it (the seed) beingharvested.

HYPL=HYPOCOTYL ELONGATION. This score indicates the ability of the seedto emerge when planted 3" deep in sand and with a controlled temperatureof 25° C. The number of plants that emerge each day are counted. Basedon this data, each genotype is given a 1 to 9 score based on its rate ofemergence and percent of emergence. A score of 9 indicates an excellentrate and percent of emergence, an intermediate score of 5 indicatesaverage ratings and a 1 score indicates a very poor rate and percent ofemergence.

HYPOCOTYL. A hypocotyl is the portion of an embryo or seedling betweenthe cotyledons and the root. Therefore, it can be considered atransition zone between shoot and root.

LDG=LODGING RESISTANCE. Lodging is rated on a scale of 1 to 9. A scoreof 9 indicates erect plants. A score of 5 indicates plants are leaningat a 45° angle in relation to the ground and a score of 1 indicatesplants are laying on the ground.

LEAFLETS. These are part of the plant shoot, and they manufacture foodfor the plant by the process of photosynthesis.

LLE=Linoleic Acid Percent. Linoleic acid is one of the five mostabundant fatty acids in soybeans seeds. It is measured by gaschromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content.

LLN=Linolenic Acid Percent. Linolenic acid is one of the five mostabundant fatty acids in soybeans seeds. It is measured by gaschromatography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content.

MAT ABS=ABSOLUTE MATURITY. This term is defined as the length of timefrom planting to complete physiological development (maturity). Theperiod from planting until maturity is reached is measured in days,usually in comparison to one or more standard varieties. Plants areconsidered mature when 95% of the pods have reached their mature color.

MATURITY GROUP. This refers to an agreed-on industry division of groupsof varieties, based on the zones in which they are adapted primarilyaccording to day length or latitude. They consist of very long daylength varieties (Groups 000, 00, 0), and extend to very short daylength varieties (Groups VII, VIII, IX, X).

OIL=Oil Percent. Soybean seeds contain a considerable amount of oil. Oilis measured by NIR spectrophotometry, and is reported on an as ispercentage basis.

OLC=OLEIC ACID PERCENT. Oleic acid is one of the five most abundantfatty acids in soybean seeds. It is measured by gas chromatography andis reported as a percent of the total oil content.

PLM=Palmitic Acid Percent. Palmitic acid is one of the five mostabundant fatty acids in soybean seeds. It is measured by gaschromotography and is reported as a percent of the total oil content.

POD. This refers to the fruit of a soybean plant. It consists of thehull or shell (pericarp) and the soybean seeds.

PRT=PHYTOPHTHORA TOLERANCE. Tolerance to Phytophthora root rot is ratedon a scale of 1 to 9, with a score of 9 being the best or highesttolerance ranging down to a score of 1 which indicates the plants haveno tolerance to Phytophthora.

PRM=Predicted Relative Maturity. Soybean maturities are divided intorelative maturity groups. In the United States the most common maturitygroups are 0 through VIII. Within these maturity groups the industrygenerally divides maturities into tenths of a relative maturity group.Within narrow comparisons, the difference of a tenth of a relativematurity group equates very roughly to a day difference in maturity atharvest.

PRO=Protein Percent. Soybean seeds contain a considerable amount ofprotein. Protein is generally measured by NIR spectrophotometry, and isreported on an as is percentage basis.

PUBESCENCE. This refers to a covering of very fine hairs closelyarranged on the leaves, stems and pods of the soybean plant.

S/LB=Seeds per Pound. Soybean seeds vary in seed size, therefore, thenumber of seeds required to make up one pound also varies. This affectsthe pounds of seed required to plant a given area, and can also impactend uses.

SH=SHATTERING. This refers to the amount of pod dehiscence prior toharvest. Pod dehiscence involves seeds falling from the pods to thesoil. This is a visual score from 1 to 9 comparing all genotypes withina given test. A score of 9 means pods have not opened and no seeds havefallen out. A score of 5 indicates approximately 50% of the pods haveopened, with seeds falling to the ground and a score of 1 indicates 100%of the pods are opened.

SHOOTS. These are a portion of the body of the plant. They consist ofstems, petioles and leaves.

STC=STEARIC ACID PERCENT. Stearic acid is one of the five most abundantfatty acids in soybeans seeds. It is measured by gas chromatography andis reported as a percent of the total oil content.

WH MD=WHITE MOLD TOLERANCE. This is a visual disease score from 1 to 9comparing all genotypes in a given test. The score is based uponobservations of mycelial growth and death of plants. A score of 9indicates no symptoms. Visual scores of 1 indicate complete death of theexperimental unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A soybean variety needs to be highly homogeneous, homozygous andreproducible to be useful as a commercial variety. There are manyanalytical methods available to determine the homozygotic and phenotypicstability of these varieties.

The oldest and most traditional method of analysis is the observation ofphenotypic traits. The data is usually collected in field experimentsover the life of the soybean plants to be examined. Phenotypiccharacteristics most often observed are for traits associated with seedyield, seed protein and oil content, lodging resistance, diseaseresistance, maturity, plant height, and shattering.

In addition to phenotypic observations, the genotype of a plant can alsobe examined. There are many laboratory-based techniques available forthe analysis, comparison and characterization of plant genotype; amongthese are Isozyme Electrophoresis, Restriction Fragment LengthPolymorphisms (RFLPs), Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs),Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), and Simple SequenceRepeats (SSRs) which are also referred to as Microsatellites.

The variety of the invention has shown uniformity and stability for alltraits, as described in the following variety description information.It has been self-pollinated a sufficient number of generations, withcareful attention to uniformity of plant type to ensure homozygosity andphenotypic stability. The line has been increased with continuedobservation for uniformity. No variant traits have been observed or areexpected in 92B52, as described in Table 1 (Variety DescriptionInformation).

Soybean variety 92B52 is a purple flowered, soybean variety with light(tawny) pubescence, brown hila, a brown pod wall and dull seed coats.The variety produces excellent yields. Line 92B52 exhibits goodtolerance to Brown Stem Rot and average tolerance to White Mold. It iswidely adapted to the North Central Plains area, and will flourish withnarrow rows and with high yielding environments. Variety 92B52 has beenidentified as an excellent background for transformation.

Soybean variety 92B52, being substantially homozygous, can be reproducedby planting seeds of the line, growing the resulting soybean plantsunder self-pollinating or sib-pollinating conditions, and harvesting theresulting seed, using techniques familiar to the agricultural arts.

                  TABLE 1                                                         ______________________________________                                        VARIETY DESCRIPTION INFORMATION                                               92B52                                                                         ______________________________________                                        A.    Mature Seed Characteristics:                                                  Seed Shape: spherical                                                         Seed Coat Color: yellow                                                       Seed Coat Luster: dull                                                        Hilum Color: brown                                                            Cotyledon Color: yellow                                                       Seed Protein Peroxidase Activity: high                                        Hypocotyl Color: light purple below cotyledons                          B.    Leaf:                                                                         Leaflet Shape: ovate                                                    C.    Plant Characteristics:                                                        Flower Color: purple                                                          Pod Color: brown                                                              Plant Pubescence Color: light (tawny)                                         Plant Types: intermediate                                                     Plant Habit: Indeterminate                                                    Maturity Group: II                                                      D.    Bacterial Diseases (S = susceptible R = resistant)                            Bacterial Blight (Pseudomonas glycinea): S                              E.    Fungal Diseases (S = susceptible R = resistant)                               Brown Spot (Septoria glycines): S                                             Brown Stem Rot (Cephalosporium gregatum): S (moderately)                      Pod and Stem Blight (Diaporthe phaseolorum var. sojae): S                     Purple Seed Stain (Cercospora kikuchii): S                                    Rhizoctonia Root Rot (Rhizoctonia solani): S                                  Phytophthora Rot (Phytophthora megasperma var. sojae):                        Race 1: S Race 2: S Race 3: S Race 5: S                                       Race 7: S Race 8: S Race 9: S                                           F.    Viral Diseases (S = susceptible R = resistant)                                Bud Blight (Tobacco Ringspot Virus): S                                        Yellow Mosaic (Bean Yellow Mosaic Virus): S                                   Cowpea Mosaic (Cowpea Chlorotic Virus): S                                     Pod Mottle (Bean Pod Mottle Virus): S                                         Seed Mottle (Soybean Mosaic Virus): S                                   G.    Nematode Diseases (S = susceptible R = resistant)                             Soybean Cyst Nematode                                                         Race 3: S                                                               H.    Physiological Responses (S = susceptible R = resistant)                       Iron Chlorosis on Calcareous Soil: R (moderately so)                    ______________________________________                                         (PVP Certificate No.) is a Pioneer HiBred International, Inc. proprietary     variety.                                                                      Publications useful as references in interpreting Table 1 include:            Caldwell, B. E. ed. 1973. "Soybeans: Improvement, Production, and Uses"       Amer. Soc. Agron. Monograph No. 16;                                           Buttery, B. R., and R. I. Buzzell 1968. "Peroxidase Activity in Seed of       Soybean Varieties" Crop Sci. 8: 722-725;                                      Hymowitz, T. 1973. "Electrophoretic analysis of SBTIA2 in the USDA Soybea     Germplasm Collection" Crop Sci., 13: 420-421;                                 Payne R. C., and L. F. Morris, 1976. "Differentiation of Soybean Varietie     by Seedling Pigmentation Patterns" J. Seed. Technol. 1: 1-19. The             disclosures of which are each incorporated by reference in their entirety                                                                              

Industrial Applicability

This invention also is directed to methods for producing a soybean plantby crossing a first parent soybean plant with a second parent soybeanplant wherein the first or second parent soybean plant is a soybeanplant of the variety 92B52. Further, both first and second parentsoybean plants can come from the soybean variety 92B52. Thus, any suchmethods using the soybean variety 92B52 are part of this invention:selfing, backcrosses, hybrid production, crosses to populations, and thelike. All plants produced using soybean variety 92B52 as a parent arewithin the scope of this invention. Advantageously, the soybean varietycould be used in crosses with other, different, soybean plants toproduce first generation (F₁) soybean hybrid seeds and plants withsuperior characteristics. The variety of the invention can also be usedfor transformation where exogenous genes are introduced and expressed bythe variety of the invention. Genetic variants created either throughtraditional breeding methods using variety 92B52 or throughtransformation of 92B52 by any of a number of protocols known to thoseof skill in the art are intended to be within the scope of thisinvention.

Production of a genetically modified plant tissue by transformationcombines teachings of the present disclosure with a variety oftechniques and expedients known in the art. In most instances alternateexpedients exist for each stage of the overall process. The choice ofexpedients depends on the variables such as the plasmid vector systemchosen for the cloning and introduction of the desired recombinant DNAmolecule, as well as the particular structural gene, promoter elementsand upstream elements used. Persons skilled in the art are able toselect and use appropriate alternatives to achieve functionality.Culture conditions for expressing desired structural genes and culturedcells are known in the art. Also as known in the art, soybeans aretransformable and regenerable such that whole plants containing andexpressing desired genes under regulatory control may be obtained.General descriptions of plant expression vectors and reporter genes andtransformation protocols can be found in Gruber, et al., "Vectors forPlant Transformation, in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &Biotechnology" in Glich et al., (Eds. pp. 89-119, CRC Press, 1993).Moreover GUS expression vectors and GUS gene cassettes are availablefrom Clone Tech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, Calif. while luciferaseexpression vectors and luciferase gene cassettes are available from ProMega Corp. (Madison, Wis.). General methods of culturing plant tissuesare provided for example by Maki et al. "Procedures for IntroducingForeign DNA into Plants" in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology &Biotechnology, Glich et al. (Eds. pp. 67-88 CRC Press, 1993); and byPhillips et al. "Cell-Tissue Culture and In-Vitro Manipulation" in Corn& Corn Improvement, 3rd Edition Sprague et al. (Eds. pp. 345-387)American Society of Agronomy Inc. et al. 1988. Methods of introducingexpression vectors into plant tissue include the direct infection orco-cultivation of plant cells with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Horsch etal., Science, 227:1229 (1985). Descriptions of Agrobacterium vectorsystems and methods for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer provided byGruber, et al. supra.

Useful methods include but are not limited to expression vectorsintroduced into plant tissues using a direct gene transfer method suchas microprojectile-mediated delivery, DNA injection, electroporation andthe like. More preferably expression vectors are introduced into planttissues using the microprojectile media delivery with the biolisticdevice. Transformant plants obtained with the protoplasm of theinvention are intended to be within the scope of this invention.

As used herein, the term plant includes plant cells, plant protoplasts,plant cell tissue cultures from which soybean plants can be regenerated,plant calli, plant clumps, and plant cells that are intact in plants orparts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, flowers, pods, leaves,roots, root tips, anthers, silk and the like.

Further reproduction of the variety can occur by tissue culture andregeneration. Tissue culture of various tissues of soybeans andregeneration of plants therefrom is well known and widely published. Forexample, reference may be had to Komatsuda, T. et al., "Genotype XSucrose Interactions for Somatic Embryogenesis in Soybean," Crop Sci.31:333-337 (1991); Stephens, P. A. et al., "Agronomic Evaluation ofTissue-Culture-Derived Soybean Plants," Theor. Appl. Genet. (1991)82:633-635; Komatsuda, T. et al., "Maturation and Germination of SomaticEmbryos as Affected by Sucrose and Plant Growth Regulators in SoybeansGlycine gracilis Skvortz and Glycine max (L.) Merr.," Plant Cell, Tissueand Organ Culture, 28:103-113 (1992); Dhir, S. et al., "Regeneration ofFertile Plants from Protoplasts of Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.):Genotypic Differences in Culture Response," Plant Cell Reports (1992)11:285-289; Pandey, P. et al., "Plant Regeneration from Leaf andHypocotyl Explants of Glycine wightii (W. and A.) VERDC. varlongicauda," Japan J. Breed. 42:1-5 (1992); and Shetty, K., et al.,"Stimulation of In Vitro Shoot Organogenesis in Glycine max (Merrill.)by Allantoin and Amides," Plant Science 81:(1992) 245-251; as well asU.S. Pat. No. 5,024,944, issued Jun. 18, 1991 to Collins et al. and U.S.Pat. No. 5,008,200, issued Apr. 16, 1991 to Ranch et al., thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein in their entirety byreference. Thus, another aspect of this invention is to provide cellswhich upon growth and differentiation produce soybean plants having thephysiological and morphological characteristics of variety 92B52.

The seed of soybean variety 92B52, the plant produced from the inbredseed, the hybrid soybean plant produced from the crossing of the inbred,hybrid seed, and various parts of the hybrid soybean plant can beutilized for human food, livestock feed, and as a raw material inindustry.

The soybean is the world's leading source of vegetable oil and proteinmeal. The oil extracted from soybeans is used for cooking oil,margarine, and salad dressings. Soybean oil is composed of saturated,monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It has a typicalcomposition of 11% palmitic, 4% stearic, 25% oleic, 50% linoleic and 9%linolenic fatty acid content ("Economic Implications of Modified SoybeanTraits Summary Report", Iowa Soybean Promotion Board & American SoybeanAssociation Special Report 92S, May 1990. Changes in fatty acidcomposition for improved oxidative stability and nutrition areconstantly sought after. Industrial uses of soybean oil which issubjected to further processing include ingredients for paints,plastics, fibers, detergents, cosmetics, and lubricants. Soybean oil maybe split, inter-esterified, sulfurized, epoxidized, polymerized,ethoxylated, or cleaved. Designing and producing soybean oil derivativeswith improved functionality, oliochemistry, is a rapidly growing field.The typical mixture of triglycerides is usually split and separated intopure fatty acids, which are then combined with petroleum-derivedalcohols or acids, nitrogen, sulfonates, chlorine, or with fattyalcohols derived from fats and oils.

Soybean is also used as a food source for both animals and humans.Soybean is widely used as a source of protein for animal feeds forpoultry, swine and cattle. During processing of whole soybeans, thefibrous hull is removed and the oil is extracted. The remaining soybeanmeal is a combination of carbohydrates and approximately 50% protein.

For human consumption soybean meal is made into soybean flour which isprocessed to protein concentrates used for meat extenders or specialtypet foods. Production of edible protein ingredients from soybean offersa healthy, less expensive replacement for animal protein in meats aswell as dairy-type products.

Performance Examples of 92B52

In the examples that follow, the traits and characteristics of soybeanvariety 92B52 are given. The data collected on inbred soybean variety92B52 is presented for the key characteristics and traits.

The results in Table 2A compare variety 92B52 to another similarlyadapted soybean variety, 9233. The results show that both varieties arevery high yielding. Variety 92B52 exhibits a lower plant stature andsignificantly higher lodging resistance than variety 9233. Variety 92B52also exhibits higher resistance to Brown Stem Rot and higher White Moldtolerance than variety 9233.

The results in Table 2B compare variety 92B52 to another similarlyadapted soybean variety, 9254. The results show that variety 92B52 issignificantly higher yielding than variety 9254. Variety 92B52demonstrates significantly taller plant stature and higher seed proteincontent than variety 9254. The Variety also exhibits a significantlylower seed count per pound than variety 9254 and has a different fattyacid profile.

The results in Table 2C compare variety 92B52 with variety 9281, both ofwhich are similarly adapted. The results indicate that the 92B52 varietyexhibits taller plant stature and higher White Mold resistance thanvariety 9281. Variety 92B52 also is later maturing than variety 9281.Both varieties demonstrate excellent lodging resistance and exhibit veryhigh yields.

The results in Table 2D compare variety 92B52 with variety 9245, anothersimilarly adapted line. The results show that variety 92B52 issignificantly higher yielding than the 9245 variety. Variety 92B52exhibits a significantly shorter plant stature and a significantlyhigher seed protein content than variety 9245. Variety 92B52 alsodemonstrates a higher resistance to Brown stem rot and significantlyhigher resistance to white mold than the 9245 variety.

                                      TABLE 2A                                    __________________________________________________________________________    PAIRED COMPARISON REPORT                                                      VARIETY #1 = 92B52                                                            VARIETY #2 = 9233                                                                           MAT               WH                                                       B/A                                                                              ABS                                                                              PRM                                                                              HGT                                                                              LDG                                                                              BSR                                                                              PRT                                                                              MD FECL                                       __________________________________________________________________________    TOTAL SUM                                                                            1   62.9                                                                             127.8                                                                            24 30.9                                                                             8.4                                                                              6.6                                                                              6.7                                                                              6.8                                                                              5.3                                               2   62.9                                                                             127.7                                                                            24 32.1                                                                             7.5                                                                              5.7                                                                              7.3                                                                              4.5                                                                              6.2                                               LOCS                                                                              27 16 9  15 14 9  4  4  3                                                 DIFF                                                                              0.1                                                                              0.1                                                                              0  1.3                                                                              0.8                                                                              0.9                                                                              0.6                                                                              2.3                                                                              0.8                                               PR > T                                                                            0.957                                                                            0.809                                                                            0.594                                                                            .050#                                                                            .002#                                                                            .086*                                                                            0.186                                                                            .044+                                                                            0.624                                      __________________________________________________________________________     * = significant at the 10% level                                              + = significant at the 5% level                                               # = significant at the 1% level                                          

                                      TABLE 2B                                    __________________________________________________________________________    PAIRED COMPARISON REPORT                                                      VARIETY #1 = 92B52                                                            VARIETY #2 = 9254                                                             __________________________________________________________________________                  MAT                                                                        B/A                                                                              ABS                                                                              PRM HGT                                                                              LDG                                                                              PRO                                                                              OIL                                                                              S/LB                                                                              BSR                                      __________________________________________________________________________    TOTAL SUM                                                                            1   64.9                                                                             125.8                                                                            24  32.8                                                                             7.9                                                                              41.9                                                                             21.6                                                                             2369.9                                                                            6.2                                             2   63 125.5                                                                            24  31.2                                                                             8.4                                                                              41.6                                                                             22.3                                                                             2982.6                                                                            7.0                                             LOCS                                                                              81 45 23  45 48 10 10 10  21                                              DIFF                                                                              1.8                                                                              0.3                                                                              0   1.6                                                                              0.5                                                                              0.3                                                                              0.6                                                                              612.7                                                                             0.8                                             PR > T                                                                            .002#                                                                            0.344                                                                            0.639                                                                             .000#                                                                            .000#                                                                            .055#                                                                            .000#                                                                            .001#                                                                             .011+                                    __________________________________________________________________________                  WH                                                                         PRT                                                                              MD FECL                                                                              PLM                                                                              STC                                                                              OLC                                                                              LLE                                                                              LLN                                          __________________________________________________________________________    TOTAL SUM                                                                            1   6.9                                                                              6.5                                                                              4.5 10 5.3                                                                              26.2                                                                             48.9                                                                             9.6                                                 2   6.6                                                                              5.3                                                                              5.6 10 4.1                                                                              23.0                                                                             53.2                                                                             9.6                                                 LOCS                                                                              10 5  5   1  1  1  1  1                                                   DIFF                                                                              0.3                                                                              1.2                                                                              1.1 0  1.2                                                                              3.2                                                                              4.3                                                                              0                                            __________________________________________________________________________           PR > T                                                                            0.404                                                                            .060*                                                                            0.13                                                         __________________________________________________________________________     * = significant at the 10% level                                              + = significant at the 5% level                                               # = significant at the 1% level                                          

                                      TABLE 2C                                    __________________________________________________________________________    PAIRED COMPARISON REPORT                                                      VARIETY #1 = 92B52                                                            VARIETY #2 = 9281                                                                           MAT               WH                                                       B/A                                                                              ABS                                                                              PRM                                                                              HGT                                                                              LDG                                                                              BSR                                                                              PRT                                                                              MD FECL                                       __________________________________________________________________________    TOTAL SUM                                                                            1   62.3                                                                             125.2                                                                            25 31.1                                                                             8.3                                                                              6.1                                                                              6.6                                                                              6.5                                                                              5.3                                               2   62.6                                                                             128.4                                                                            27 30.4                                                                             8.4                                                                              6.5                                                                              7.8                                                                              5.1                                                                              4.5                                               LOCS                                                                              48 28 14 27 30 15 5  5  3                                                 DIFF                                                                              0.3                                                                              3.3                                                                              2  0.7                                                                              0.1                                                                              0.4                                                                              1.2                                                                              1.4                                                                              0.8                                               PR > T                                                                            0.745                                                                            .000#                                                                            .000#                                                                            .032+                                                                            0.524                                                                            0.212                                                                            0.16                                                                             .051#                                                                            0.199                                      __________________________________________________________________________     * = significant at the 10% level                                              + = significant at the 5% level                                               # = significant at the 1% level                                          

                  TABLE 2D                                                        ______________________________________                                        PAIRED COMPARISON REPORT                                                      VARIETY #1 = 92B52                                                            VARIETY #2 = 9245                                                             ______________________________________                                                                MAT                                                                    B/A    ABS   PRM  HGT  LDG  PRO                              ______________________________________                                        TOTAL SUM                                                                              1       66.7   125.5 25   33.0 7.9  42.0                                      2       62.7   125.6 25   34.1 7.8  39.4                                      LOCS    37     20    11   21   18   4                                         DIFF    4      0.1   1    1.1  0.1  2.6                                       PR > T  .000#  0.823 0.321                                                                              .008#                                                                              0.632                                                                              .019+                            ______________________________________                                                                                WH                                                     OIL    S/LB  BSR  PRT  MD   FECL                             ______________________________________                                        TOTAL SUM                                                                              1       22.3   2738.1                                                                              6.4  6.5  6.0  5.3                                       2       24.6   3113  4.7  6.5  4.4  5.8                                       LOCS    4      3     7    7    4    3                                         DIFF    2.3    374.9 1.7  0    1.6  0.5                                       PR > T  .022+  0.107 0.111                                                                              1    .080*                                                                              0.678                            ______________________________________                                         * = significant at the 10% level                                              + = significant at the 5% level                                               # = significant at the 1% level                                          

Deposits

Applicant has made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of Soybean Variety92B52 with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, Va.20110 USA, ATCC Deposit No. 209761. The seeds deposited with the ATCC onApr. 10, 1998 were taken from the deposit maintained by Pioneer Hi-BredInternational, Inc., 700 Capital Square, 400 Locust Street Des Moines,Iowa 50309-2340 since prior to the filing date of this application. Thisdeposit of the Soybean Variety 92B52 will be maintained in the ATCCdepository, which is a public depository, for a period of 30 years, or 5years after the most recent request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if it becomesnonviable during that period. Additionally, Applicant has satisfied allthe requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809, including providing anindication of the viability of the sample. Applicant imposes norestrictions on the availability of the deposited material from theATCC; however, Applicant has no authority to waive any restrictionsimposed by law on the transfer of biological material or itstransportation in commerce. Applicant does not waive any infringement ofits rights granted under this patent or under the Plant VarietyProtection Act (7 USC 2321 et seq.). U.S. Plant Variety Protection ofSoybean Variety 92B52 has been applied for under Application No.9800061.

The foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding.However, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications suchas single gene modifications and mutations, somoclonal variants, variantindividuals selected from large populations of the plants of the instantvariety and the like may be practiced within the scope of the invention,as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A soybean seed designated 92B52, representativeseed of said soybean 92B52 have been deposited under ATCC Accession No.209761.
 2. A soybean plant, or its parts, grown from the seed of claim1, representative seed having been deposited under ATCC Accession No.209761.
 3. Pollen of the plant of claim
 2. 4. An ovule of the plant ofclaim
 2. 5. A soybean plant, and parts thereof, having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of claim 2.6. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant of claim
 2. 7. Atissue culture according to claim 6, the cells or protoplasts being of atissue selected from the group consisting of: leaves, pollen, embryos,roots, pods, flowers, and stalks.
 8. A soybean plant regenerated fromthe tissue culture of claim 6, capable of expressing all themorphological and physiological characteristics of variety 92B52,representative seed of said variety 92B52 having been deposited underATCC Accession No.
 209761. 9. A soybean plant with all of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the soybean plant ofclaim 2, said soybean plant produced by the tissue culture process usingsoybean plant of claim 2 as the starting material for such a process.10. A method for producing a first generation (F₁) hybrid soybean seedcomprising crossing the plant of claim 2 with a different inbred parentsoybean plant and harvesting the resultant first generation (F₁) hybridsoybean seed.
 11. A method for producing a first generation (F₁) hybridsoybean seed comprising:crossing the plant of claim 2 with a differentinbred parent soybean plant and harvesting the resultant firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid soybean seed wherein the inbred soybean plant ofclaim 2 is the female parent.
 12. A method for producing a firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid soybean seed comprising:crossing the plant ofclaim 2 with a different inbred parent soybean plant and harvesting theresultant first generation (F₁) hybrid soybean seed wherein the inbredsoybean plant of claim 2 is the male parent.
 13. An F₁ hybrid soybeanseed produced by crossing the plant of claim 2 with a different parentsoybean plant.
 14. An F₁ hybrid soybean plant, or parts thereof, grownfrom the seed of claim 13.